Kittens with tapeworms: Should I take care of the worms or the fleas first?

"Deworm pills"?????? If you've gotten worming meds from a store, they won't kill tapeworm! This takes a special medicine......and some of the Over The Counter ( OTC ) worming meds will KILL kittens...........SO.......

You need to have your kittens treated ( at the vet ) for their fleas ( a dose of Capstar will kill the ones CURRENTLY ON them ), and they need a flea PREVENTATIVE, so that any other fleas that "hop on" won't be able to reproduce........THEN......

You're going to have to get rid of the fleas .......and that will take a week or so, probably. You don't want to "bomb" your home, because everyone will have to leave for hours while the "fog" works, and it will have to be REDONE in a week or so, anyway! Fleas hatch out in "cycles". The flea you see today, was an EGG...3 weeks ago!

The most environmentally ( and people/animal ) safe treatment for fleas in the house is.......BORAX powder! Go to the grocery store ( detergent aisle ) and get some 20 Mule Team Borax......sprinkle it all over your rugs, under furniture, etc.......then, use a broom to brush it DOWN INTO the nap until it disappears. LEAVE it for a couple of days ( so the borax can dry up the fleas ). Then, vacuum EVERYTHING THOROUGHLY.......and toss the v.c. bag out in the outside garbege. You don't want any eggs you picked up to hatch out and reinfest your home.

Wait a week and RETREAT your home FROM START TO FINISH......the same way.....wait, vacuum, etc. Depending on the extent of the flea infestation, you may have to do this a FEW times. However, you don't have to be gone, there's no smell, and the dishes don't have to be washed!! This does work, but it takes time and commitment!!

There's always the possiblility that fleas are coming into the house on socks, pant legs, animals, etc......so, you may want to consider treating your YARD, too. Just go to a plant nursery or nursery section of Home Depot, etc......and get some pesticide ( with DIAZINON ) for your yard. Diazinon is the BEST flea killer around........just follow the directions on the bag.

Once the fleas in your yard are gone, the ones in the house are gone.......then, treat the kittens for tapeworm. It won't do any good to treat them until there's NO CHANCE of them ingesting another flea........they'd just get another tapeworm!

Hope this wasnt' too much info for you........Good luck to you and the kitties........

Only use vet endorsed products for fleas on your cats. Buy 2 tubes of Advantage for cats under 9 lbs. ( they probably aren't bigger than this.) Tape worm meds are not available over the counter. The vet can give you the tablets or a shot needed to kill the worms. It can all be done at once. Remove the cats, other pets and all people from the house. Set off a few Raid flea foggers as directed, return in about 4 hours, open windows and all should be good. You should treat your front and backyard with Raid Yard Spray for fleas. Just let it dry before you use the yard or letting pets go outside, Don't worry about the vacuuming. Unless the house is infested, it won't do any good or at all regardless as the fleas can jump out of the vacuum. Don't shampoo the cat. It doesn't work and you will overdose them with flea killer meds. Advantage for cats is all that you need for them.

Hummm..well since fleas carry the tapeworm, the effort in killing the tapeworm would be nullified if you didn't kill the fleas. If you can't afford treatment, you're going to have to save up somewhere or ask to borrow money. Go to one of the pet medicine sites and try to find something on sale or ask your vet to work with you. Don't use over the counter collars or shampoos that have pesticides. Many are horribly dangerous to cats and Never use dog treatments on cats....they can be absolutely deadly. If you treat the fleas then you can treat the worms but I would do them as soon as possible together since the worms can lead to bleeding in the bowels, and serious GI conditions. Not to mention the nutrition that is lost due to the infestation.

First, bathe kitties with Dawn dish soap. Wet face first so fleas don't run to the face when you lather up the body. Second, comb out wet fur with flea comb and kill the lil buggers! Begin vaccuming all carpet everyday (flea eggs get in it). Then wash all of your bedding, their bedding, and any rugs you have. Begin treating once a month with a quality flea treatment like Advantage. Then get a deworming treatment. Be sure to bathe your kitties with Dawn again about a week later to kill any fleas that hatched.

And the person who said worms don't come from fleas - yes they do. If a cat/kitten accidentally swallows a flea, they will most likely get worms bc the fleas have worm eggs in them. And what do cats do when they itch? Bite the itch/flea!

Ha ha! xD No, almost all kittens have worms, so that's pretty normal. And fleas don't especially lead to tapeworms.

Okay, well, I suggest that you take care of the tapeworms first. Tapeworms can be fatal and death-threatening [in kittens as well as adults], while fleas are just plain annoying. When you've finished treating the tapeworms, though, start on the fleas right away. I suggest you use a flea spray, spray it on a towel, and scrub your kittens with it.

Hope I helped! :]

Use liquid dish soap for the fleas. It works very well. Bathe, make sure no fleas are moving, rinse. Use a metal flea comb on face, head and ears - very important. Repeat in 7 to 10 days - very important. Get medicine from vet and treat for tapeworm. If you are using over-the-counter worm killer - it won't work. Only one med. works for tapeworm (I think it might be called Drontil), and you can only get it from the vet. Treat for both. Now. We have used the liquid dish soap on multiple cats, and it has always worked. (Like Palmolive, Dawn or store brand).

you need to sort out the fleas and the worms at the same time.

fleas first